Dealing with Dark Circles

Dark Circles are dark patches under the eyes that develop as a result of the blood vessels showing through the skin as this in particular is the thinnest skin in the human body. One thing you need to understand is that dark circles is definitely not a permanent issue and can be corrected if you are willing to work for it. But be prepared, working on reversing dark circles will take some determination and discipline from your side. They are not going to disappear overnight: this is not some magic trick we are talking about. Patience is the key here. Be patient and you surely will be rewarded for it. One of the major reasons for dark circles to appear is lack of sleep and added work pressure. This becomes extra relevant for most of us as it seems that we are always busy and stressed and running after some thing or the other. Just as peace and quiet start disappearing from ones life, it is dark circles which start appearing!
So the most important step here is to correct your sleeping pattern. You need to be properly rested and require a minimum sleep of at least 6 sound hours, if not 8. And this is not a one day thing, nor a week long exercise – You need to follow this pattern daily; make it a habit. And trust me the disappearwnce of dark circles will be the smallest reward that you will get. The bigger and more important rewards of a good sleep include a fresh and alert mind throughout the day, a happy and optimistic disposition and a lovely, glowing complexion. Think about it for a second : the days when you reach your office or college after sleeping for a measly couple of hours, just how cranky you are. You feel as if the weight of the entire world is resting on your fragile shoulders and you become a ticking time bomb, ready to blast anyone who crosses your way. Compare this to the times when you reach your college or office after a nice, long, relaxing sleep. The world automatically becomes brighter, better and more friendly. You walk around working, solving everyone’s problems, exchanging pleasantries and feeling as if you are on top of the world.

The difference that sleep makes! And you definitely would be lying if you said that this doesn’t happen to you. So not only will having a regular sleeping pattern help you get rid of those nasty dark circles, it will improve your efficiency in everything you do as well. ‘Early to bed, early to rise’ will definitely make you a good boy(or girl)! Our elders weren’t kidding when they stressed so much on going to bed early at night – should have listened. Alas.

Some other things which can be done in addition to improving your sleep pattern to get rid of those dark circles are : use cucumber on your eyes regularly. Some people have a tendency for getting dark circles as their eyes tire very easily, especially during the summers. Cucumber has natural cooling properties which help you get rid of stress as well. This technique is highly relaxing and refreshing, fifteen minutes with two cucumber slices over your eyes and you will fill energized enough to take on the world, while restoring blood flow to the region around your eyes and ridding you of the darkness.
Another trick that helps you fight dark circles is rose water. Follow these steps regularly and see the effect for yourself :
1. Place some slightly wet cotton in the freezer for sometime, approximately fifteen –twenty minutes, not longer. The idea is to cool the cotton completely but not turn it into ice.
2. Once out of the freezer, sprinkle some rosewater generously over the cotton pieces.
3. Close your eyes lie down in a dark room and place this cotton over your eyes and forehead.
4. Magic!
This technique helps restore blood flow and relaxes your mind completely. If you have trouble falling asleep at night, try this out right before you hit the bed. Chances are that it will relax you so much that you will forget all those office worries and will be able to sleep like a baby. What else could we possibly want, right?
Increased dark circles can be called one of the side effects of having an extremely hectic and stressful life which unfortunately we all lead. Where is the time to spend on ourselves, to pamper ourselves which is so important too? It all gets lost somewhere between getting this presentation done on time and meeting that client for some urgent piece of work. There have been recent studies which show how people in stressful jobs develop dark circles, wrinkles, crow’s feet much much sooner than others, some as early as in their twenties! Shocking isn’t it?
So act before it’s too late. Yes, dark circles can be reversed in most cases by following the little techniques we just talked about but wouldn’t it be better to not have them at all? Prevention, as they say, is better than cure.
Wake up, and then go to sleep on time!!